If you are interested in DI-AA, DII, or DIII schools, your odds are still pretty good.

If you are a senior and just starting the recruiting process, following the guidelines below will tremendously help you.

Make a list of 10 schools you are interested in.

Make sure the list has a few schools at different levels. A few D1-AA schools, a few D2 schools, and a few D3 schools.

Call a coach from each of the ten schools.

Discuss with each coach your interest to play for their team. Tell them how you can be a great contribution to their team. Is it your special teams play? Position skills? Leadership?

Send the Coaches your highlight video.

Mail your highlight video to each coach.

A coach will need to see you video if he is going to take a chance on you. Your video is the greatest marketing tool you can use during this process.

In Conclusion

You’re in a tough situation because of the circumstances, but if you put some effort in now, you can get recruited. Coaches recruiting lists will not be completely filled yet so they are still waiting on that last piece to this recruiting class.

Have your priorities in order and follow the steps above. Make sure to go after the division II and III colleges because they are more likely to have spots open.

Do not give up.

1.)  Because You Can – it’s allowed in the rules

The NCAA recruiting rulebook is almost as thick as “War and Peace”.  There are tons of things college coaches cannot do.  They cannot send you a text message.  They cannot reply to your text messages.  They can’t send you emails until you are a certain age.  They can’t meet you in person.  They are limited in the number of times they can watch you play and the number of times they can speak to you in person.  But the one thing that is not limited in any capacity is the time you can speak on the phone if you call a coach – any coach.  If you call a coach and he picks up, it’s completely legitimate, and the two of you can talk for as long as you each want to.

2.)  Because very few people do it

Very very very few people take the initiative to pick up the phone and call a college coach.  I’m not sure why.  I’m sure there are many parents who call the coaches on behalf of their children, but if an athlete calls, it is very rare, and believe me, coaches take notice.  It shows initiative and a self confidence that tells much more about an athlete’s character and leadership abilities than most athletes realize.  If this one phone call will help show coaches that you can be a team leader on and off the field, it is definitely worth the fifteen minute investment of picking up the phone.  Who knows how often scholarship offers come down to a flip of a coin – this phone call may tip the coin in your favor.

3.)  Because it’s a quick way to get questions answered

Maybe you are unsure about the team culture, what type of scheme they will play next year, if their program is changing direction because of a new athletic director.  A direct phone call can be the easiest and most direct way to get some questions answered.  Keep in mind that coaches and scouts are often selling their program and giving you answers that will tip you to choose attending their programs.  If you understand this, you can get most generic questions answered, but understand you should take most of their answers with a grain of salt.

I’m happy you read this far.  But if you did, why keep reading?  Go pick up the phone and call a coach at a school you’re interested in.  It may be one of the most important phone calls you make this year.  It can sometimes be difficult to find coach contact information.  If you can’t find a phone number, sign up for a free trial of Smarter Football at the top right of your screen – we have numbers for every D1,D2,D3, and D1-AA team in the country.

Robert M. Cavezza
SmarterFootball.com

Getting the attention of college coaches is not easy, but it is very possible. Its going to take a little time and effort from you and you will be very happy you took the time to do it.

First, lets face the facts. If you are not a top 100 prospect in the country, a four or five star athlete, or from a big high school program, then chances are coaches will not be contacting you.

In a previous article I wrote called “6 keys to a successful recruiting process” ,  I mentioned that coaches just do not have the time or budgets to recruit every football player out there. They do however rely on word of mouth and confident prospects that take matters into their own hands to make first contact.

You are going to need to be that confident prospect.

Find the colleges that you are interested in playing for. Try to get an evaluation to find out which division you are best suited in playing for. Believe me, this will save so much time and frustration and the response rates from coaches are much better after you do this.

Get the contact information for the coaches from these colleges and file it somewhere. Begin to email these coaches to express your interest in playing for them and request some recruiting information. You can also fill out recruiting questionnaires on each teams home page.

When you fill these out, your information goes to the recruiting coordinator and is stored in their recruiting files. I used to do that kind of stuff when I worked for a college football team.

Attend football camps and combines. Usually when you request recruiting information from coaches, they will send you information about their upcoming camps. About 60% of a college football roster is made up of prospects that have attended that teams football spring camp.

Create a recruiting profile and highlight film. Both of these are very important when marketing yourself to coaches. The more of these you send out to coaches, the more coaches will see the type of athlete and student you are and put you on their recruiting lists.

Highlight films tell coaches all they need to know about you and they will make their decision on going after you or not.

So start getting to work. Establish where you want to go, find contact information, make the first contact, show off your skills at camps and combines, and send out your information. College coaches will know you exist and then, and only then, will they start to want you on their roster.

So you want to get recruited right? Well it doesnt just happen from you waiting around for a coach to notice you.

You need to start the recruiting process and know what to do during it. Here are 6 keys to a successful recruiting process that are sure to help you.

Exposure- Waiting for any coach to come to you is a big mistake! You need to get your name out there and in front of college coaches. Coaches do not have the time or the budget to go out and recruit anyone they want. So, it is your responsibility to show them how you can contribute to their program and college.

Go to camps and combines, create a highlight film, make contacts, and play your best. This is your future we are talking about here!

Grades- Hopefully you know that your football ability is not the only thing that college coaches look for in a prospect. Your grades are probably the most important part in this process.

Remember, you will be applying to colleges along with hundreds of other applicants so you are going to be treated just like them. You will not have an edge just because you are a football player.

Coaches want to see that you will have no problem being accepted in to the college.

Progression- Are you getting any better at football every year? Are you getting bigger, faster, stronger, and smarter? Do you train in the offseason? These are things you should be doing in order to make the Varsity roster and excel.

College coaches can evaluate progression and will know if you have what it takes to contribute to their program. Watch film, practice hard, train harder……Do not think you cannot get better!

Right Fit- I always see high school football players get caught up in the “Big School” hype. They love the big division I programs and will only try to get recruited by them. Most athletes that do this never hear back from these big programs and miss out on playing college ball. Such a shame!

You my friend need to find colleges that match your needs and you know you can physically compete at. Do not waste your time and energy trying to get recruited by colleges that will not look at you, believe me it does not work.

Contact- Most times, coaches will not contact you. This is going to be your job. Do you want this bad enough? You think you can make a college roster? Yeah? Well, good because so do I. If I said it before, I will say it again: Do not sit around and wait for the contact. You need to do the contacting!

Email and call coaches from the colleges you are interested in. Request recruiting information and tell them you are very interested in contributing to their program and great college.

Start Early- Do not wait until the Spring of your Senior year. This process takes time and planning. It will be in your best interest to start NOW!!

Some football players may be upset that DIII Football is their only chance at competing at the next level or that only DIII Football programs are recruiting them. However, I have 3 reasons why DIII football is a great choice to continue your football career.

Playing Time- Division III football offers tons of playing time to all athletes. I mean if you love football and want to continue it in college, you are going to want to play all 4 years right?

By going to a DI, I-AA, or even II football program, you may not get to play until your junior or Senior year! Why would you want to wait that long? If you go through all that work to get recruited, then you deserve the chance to contribute to that program right away. With DIII football, you will have that opportunity.

Competition- There are 233 DIII football programs throughout the country that offer as much competition as any of the other divisions out there. Many DI caliber football players are playing DIII or choose to play DIII because they too want a chance to play all 4 years. Not only that, but athletes that are overlooked by other divisions due to their size find themselves landing on a DIII roster and really shining.

Its not just the great players in DIII that make for great competition, but a Playoff to determine the champion. You have an opportunity to compete in a 32 team playoff bracket and become national champions.

Academics- When you get recruited to play DIII football, you are also getting a great education. Most colleges at the DIII level are small and have classrooms that average 30 students each. This allows the professors to really get to know you and help you succeed. A lot of the DI and II colleges have large classrooms or even lecture halls with hundreds of students packed in them which makes it difficult for the professor to know who you are and help you during class.

In conclusion, DIII football will give you the opportunity to face outstanding competition and play the sport you love for 4 years. Along with a great education that will help you prepare for your life after football, DIII football could be the best choice you make.

Recently, Smarter Football visited a high school in New Jersey and met a junior cornerback. He had two envelopes that were mailed to him that very day. One envelope was a recruiting questionnaire from a division II college and the other was a camp invite from another division II college.

The recruiting questionnaire is very important because it helps college coaches determine who is really interested in joining their program. When you fill out a recruiting questionnaire and send it back, you will be keeping options open and have an advantage over those that fail to fill them out and send them back. No matter what division you receive a questionnaire from, you always want to fill out every field of the questionnaire form and send it back. You want to do this because there is no guarantee that other colleges will offer you a scholarship, so you need to show interest to every college that send you information.

We told him that it would be wise to fill out everything on the recruiting form and send it back immediately. After he finished that, we told him to send an email to the Head coach of that college and notify him that he filled it out and sent it back. The coach will see that he is interested by that rapid response and email. If the athletes information checks out, you can be assured that the coach will pursue this junior cornerback. The cornerback will have established a relationship with this coach and create opportunities to play college football when he is ready to commit.

The camp invite is a different story. The reality of camp invites is that colleges send these out to hundreds of prospects, but it does not mean they are serious about recruiting any of them. Camps cost money and the more athletes they get to sign up, the more money they make.

This does not mean you should not go to any camps! You need to make sure that the college inviting you is a college you feel you can compete at. If you feel you can compete at that college, then go to that camp and prove it in front of the coaches. By using this method, you will save money and improve your chances of getting on a college roster. When you know the camps you want to attend, email or call the coach and express your interest in attending the camp. Let him know who you are so he can see you are interested and prepare for your arrival.

Due to NCAA recruiting regulations, it all depends on if you are a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior in high school.

In this three part series, we will discuss when coaches can contact you and what you can do to get in touch with them based on each division and class year.

Part 1 will focus on Sophomores.

Sophomores

Division I:

Mailing recruiting materials- College coaches may only send you recruiting questionnaires and brochures about the college or football camps.

Visits- You may go on as many unofficial visits as you want. This means you can visit the college at your own expense and get a good feel for that particular college. Official visits, Any visit to a college campus by you and your parents paid for by the college, are Not allowed.

Phone calls- You can call the coach, recruiting coordinator, or assistant coaches as much as you want. If the coach answers the call, you may have a conversation. However, if the coach misses your phone call, he may not call you back. College coaches may not call you or text you if you are a sophomore.

Email- You may email the college coach as much as you want and this is highly recommended.

Off campus contact- There is no off campus contact allowed. This means that you and your parents may not have a face to face contact with the college coach off of the college campus.

Division II:

Mailing recruiting materials- College coaches may only send you recruiting questionnaires and brochures about the college or football camps.

Visits- You may go on as many unofficial visits as you want. This means you can visit the college at your own expense and get a good feel for that particular college. Official visits, Any visit to a college campus by you and your parents paid for by the college, are Not allowed.

Phone calls- You can call the coach, recruiting coordinator, or assistant coaches as much as you want. If the coach answers the call, you may have a conversation. However, if the coach misses your phone call, he may not call you back. College coaches may not call you or text you if you are a sophomore.

Email- You may email the college coach as much as you want and this is highly recommended.

Off campus contact- There is no off campus contact allowed. This means that you and your parents may not have a face to face contact with the college coach off of the college campus.

Division III:

Mailing recruiting materials- You can receive printed recruiting material from a division III college coach at any time.

Visits- Unlimited number of unofficial visits, but no official visits.

Phone calls- You may make an unlimited number of phone calls. There is no restriction on when or how many times a division III college coach can call you.

Email- You can do this as much as you want and the coach may email you as well.

Off campus contact- Not allowed

Smarter Football has all the tools, strategies, and contact information for contacting college coaches. For a free account to start getting recruited, email npennisi@smarterfootball.com

The academic portion of your high school work is more important to your preparation for future success than athletic activities. Many athletes feel that their athletic success will help overlook bad grades or lack of extra curricular activities, they are wrong. Even college coaches can’t help you gain acceptance if you do not meet requirements.

On average, fewer than 225 rookies earn a position on a professional football team in one year. Over 280 000 seniors will play high school football in the same year. 225 ÷ 280 000 = .00080 professional football players.

Professional football players career is about 4 years

Athletic preperation and performance are very important, however you will not be recruited if a coach feels you cannot contribute to the program and institution as a whole.

Prepare yourself for college competition; both in the classroom and in your sport.

• Just because you are a good player or your team is great does not mean coaches will recruit you. Coaches do not have the time or the budgets to recruit anyone they want in the country.  If they do not contact you, do not assume all is lost.  They want you to contact them.
• Coaches want to hear from the high school football player
  Unfortunately they do not want to hear from parents, family members, or friends.  They are recruiting the football player so that is who they want to hear from and get an idea of who they are.
• One of the most important things a prospect can have is GOOD GRADES

Good grades show the coach that you are a well rounded individual and you are eligible to compete in the NCAA and be enrolled in to that college with out any problems.  It gives the impression that you will not be a headache and can succeed at this college.  Good grades open up opportunities for you to not only get admitted in to any college you want, but it helps you stick out from other prospects that are being recruited.  Finally, your good grades open up tons of scholarship opportunities to pay for college

• Do your research and know where you can compete in college

Not all high school football players can compete in Division I college ball.  When you have an idea of where you can compete, you will have more success appealing to coaches and getting on their radar.  If you try sending your info to Div I colleges when you are not Div I material, you will just waste your time and energy until the process is over and you are left with nothing.

• If you receive a letter from a coach it does not always mean you are a recruited athlete.

Some colleges will send out thousands of letters to local players to see what they can get.  You also should not throw the letter away because of this.  Fill out any information and send it back immediately to show your interest.  Follow up with an email to the head coach asking if he received the information and what else do you need to become a recruited football player for that team.

• Do not start the process late or you may not have an opportunity or make a rushed decision.

Start planning early and get the help you need to be successful.  Do your research so by Senior year, you know which colleges you like and why you want to attend them besides the football aspect.

These are just a couple of must knows in the recruiting process.  Keep these in mind and for any further questions, Ask a Smarter Football Expert at the bottom of the page.

You need to start your recruitment process early in your high school career. With an early start to this process, you will open up many opportunities that others let slip away. Some of these opportunities include:
1. Becoming smarter in the recruiting process
2. Researching all of the colleges you would like to apply to
3. Building relationships with college coaches
4. Meeting academic requirements set by the NCAA
5. Creating scholarship opportunities

The earlier you start this process, the more likely you will develop as the football player and student coaches admire. Starting early makes it easy to meet all of the necessary requirements to get in to a good college and become a student athlete.

This is the road many high school athletes should take. If you do not play at a preparatory school or have an all-star at your games, scouts may never see you play unless you take this proactive approach. Commit to the process and you will have a huge advantage.